Genealogy & Local History

Brampton Library offers a range of local history and genealogy information, including a wealth of archived materials and online databases, and Ontario Genealogical Society materials, at our Four Corners Branch.

Local History

The purpose of the Local History Collection is to discover and preserve the historical and cultural development of the City of Brampton and the former Townships of Chinguacousy and Toronto Gore. Available resources include books, pamphlets, newspapers, City directories, historic atlases, maps, voters' lists, annual reports of local industries, school yearbooks, and specialized and general reports of the Region of Peel and the City of Brampton. The collection is indexed in an in-house catalogue and can be used in the Library during regular operating hours. It is located on the second floor of the Four Corners Branch. Two (2) microfilm machines and one (1) microfiche viewer are available for customer use. Copies can be made from microfilms for just $0.20 each.

Through Our Eyes - History, Community and Diversity

Brampton Library invites you to learn about Brampton's history directly from the people who lived it. A book of stories by local seniors and a series of interviews on DVD are available for loan individually or as a kit (which includes posters and a portable DVD player that can be used to create a display).

Search - History, Community and Diversity

This site provides a look at the Brampton community and its history, through text, images, and video. Specifically, interviews with residents for the Through Our Eyes project present a picture of the everyday life of the average Brampton resident. Topics include school days, working life, and the changing nature of the community. Visit our site

Genealogy

Brampton Library is a repository for the Ontario Genealogical Society's Halton-Peel Branch materials. The Genealogy Collection is housed with the Local History Collection at the Four Corners Branch. Accessible during regular operating hours, this collection includes family histories; census records; church records and church history; cemetery transcriptions; marriage registers; loyalist history; Ontario birth, marriage and death indexes; Perkins Bull collections; passenger lists; genealogy newsletters; and the International Genealogical Index (IGI) (1988 edition on microfiche).

Multicultural History

Celebrating Brampton's Diversity is a special project completed by Brampton Library. Brampton is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada, and in order to recognize and celebrate this diversity, the Library invited prominent members of the multicultural community to participate in a series of interviews.

Online Databases

Newspapers

The Brampton Guardian is the City's main newspaper for community information. News articles have been indexed from its inception in 1964 and can be viewed at the Library's Four Corners Branch. The Brampton Conservator/Daily Times ceased publication in 1989. The microfilms are available from 1867-1989. They are only indexed (for births, marriages and deaths only) from 1867-1929. This information can also be viewed at the Library's Four Corners Branch. The Peel Newspaper Index includes entries for the Brampton Guardian from 1979 to the present (news articles, as well as births, marriages & deaths) can be accessed by clicking here.